"Whew..."
The false alarm left Lin Feng feeling utterly drained. He let out a long sigh of relief, a profound sense of having narrowly escaped death washing over him.
Though both body and spirit were exhausted to the extreme, Lin Feng didn't immediately begin meditating to regulate his breathing. Instead, after swallowing a Recovery Pill, he cautiously stepped forward again.
Only two things occupied his mind now: his flying sword, and the Strange Fire!!
The flying sword was his most treasured possession; he needed to retrieve it before he could feel settled. And the allure of the Strange Fire was irresistible. He was desperate to know what had become of it.
Scanning the cavern, he saw utter devastation. The floor and surrounding walls were pockmarked with countless craters. Some areas pooled with smoldering lava, others were littered with shattered fragments of carapace…
Following the unique connection to his flying sword, Lin Feng's gaze instantly locked onto it, floating amidst the lava pool's center. Right beside it, he spotted a dark red, molten-rock-like flame.
Seeing his sword submerged in the lava sent a jolt of panic through him. Terrified it might have melted, he focused his will instantly. A clear sword chime rang out as the blade surged upwards from the magma, alive once more.
"It's completely red-hot!! Thank goodness it didn't melt…"
The sight of his once silver blade now glowing crimson was painful. He feared severe damage, but relief washed over him simultaneously – at least it wasn't partially melted away. He was about to command it back when his eyes shifted to the Molten Rock Fire bobbing on the lava's surface.
After a moment's thought, Lin Feng cautiously directed the flying sword to dip slightly lower. He angled the tip into the magma and flicked upwards. To his immense surprise, it actually scooped the Molten Rock Fire up! He beckoned, and the sword, balancing the flame on its tip, flew towards him…
An intense wave of heat slammed into Lin Feng, so fierce he imagined his hair crisping. He urgently channeled true essence, coating his skin in a protective layer. Combined with his innate fire-attributed cultivation affinities, this provided some immunity, making the heat more bearable.
Noticing the tip of the sword holding the Strange Fire seemed even redder, Lin Feng feared it might melt. He focused his will again. When the sword was still two meters away, it tilted abruptly, dislodging the Strange Fire. Only then did it fly the remaining distance to hover before him.
Lin Feng dared not grasp the superheated blade. He simply examined it closely as it floated. Relieved to find no warping, distortion, or melting, he relaxed slightly. Yet, he sensed something subtly different about the sword – a change he couldn't quite define. The current situation wasn't suitable for investigation, so after a brief observation, he waved his hand, storing the sword back into his spatial ring. He would study it properly once it cooled.
His attention then dropped to the Strange Fire now resting on the ground ahead. In just those few moments, it had already melted a half-meter wide pit into the floor! The Molten Rock Fire floated serenely on the miniature pool of lava it had created.
"This is the Strange Fire? Truly bizarre and extraordinary…" Lin Feng murmured in wonder, studying it intently. Then, a flicker of confusion crossed his face. "Why does it seem… smaller than before? And paler?"
When he first glimpsed the Molten Rock Fire – used by the Fire-Tailed Scorpion King for healing – he'd been far away. But his exceptional eyesight had given him a rough estimate of its size. The flame before him now seemed significantly diminished… weakened?
"Because of the Scorpion King?" Lin Feng speculated silently. "It failed to devour and assimilate the Strange Fire, but it did absorb a portion of its energy… weakening it."
This seemed the logical explanation. A pang of regret struck him. He already considered the Strange Fire his own. Knowing it was originally stronger and now diminished was disappointing.
"Regardless, I need to secure it now!!"
After another moment of observation, Lin Feng rubbed his hands together eagerly. It was time to claim the Molten Rock Fire.
Records stated that all Strange Fires possessed a degree of sentience. To subdue one, a cultivator needed only to envelop it with their true essence. It could then be drawn into the body, nurtured, refined, and ultimately mastered using true essence or even spiritual sense.
This was the extent of Lin Feng's knowledge. He wasn't entirely sure it would work. Crouching down cautiously, he extended his right hand. True essence flowed over his skin, forming an invisible glove. Slowly, deliberately, he reached towards the Molten Rock Fire.
Despite the protective true essence coating his hand, and despite wearing a top-grade treasure artifact half-finger gauntlet, the heat radiating from the fire was still agonizing. Gritting his teeth, he inched his hand closer, extending his true essence further, finally managing to envelop the entire flame.
"Whoosh!!"
Then, something utterly unexpected happened. The Molten Rock Fire flickered – and actively shot into his palm!!
Incredibly, the gauntlet on his palm remained completely unharmed. The Strange Fire seemed almost illusory, passing through the material as if it weren't there!
"What's happening?!"
Shock seized Lin Feng. Before he could react, a torrent of searing heat surged up his right arm and plunged straight into his abdomen!
"Aaaagh!!"
Instantly, Lin Feng's eyes bulged. An unimaginable, scorching agony exploded in his mind. It felt like a charred path had been burned through his insides! Even the pain of refining his fire spiritual root paled in comparison!
"Hah… Hah… Hah…"
The agony, however, was as brief as it was intense. Lin Feng's scream lasted only seconds before subsiding. He slumped, drenched in sweat, gasping for air, his eyes wide with lingering terror.
He frantically waved his right hand before his face. It seemed unharmed. The sensation of his entire arm being incinerated from within felt like a phantom pain. Panic rising, he looked down at his abdomen, patting it frantically. No external injury was apparent.
Taking a shaky breath to calm himself, he turned his focus inward. Deep within his dantian, nestled within the swirling vortex of his true essence, he found it – a tiny, flickering flame. The Molten Rock Fire.
To his senses, the fire no longer radiated that terrifying, all-consuming heat. It felt… gentler. Suspended within the dantian vortex, it pulsed slowly. His true essence flowed past it like a soft breeze, causing the 'little flame' to sway gently… an utterly peculiar sight.
"This… what's going on?"
Lin Feng was baffled. This scenario wasn't mentioned in any records he knew! He was momentarily at a loss.
Times like these made Lin Feng desperately wish for a powerful 'Master'. It would spare him the constant, perilous trial-and-error.
"Is this… the nurturing process the records mentioned? Is that all? Can I… control this Strange Fire now?"
Sensing no immediate danger within, Lin Feng pondered. He decided to experiment. Concentrating, he tried to command the Strange Fire within his dantian vortex.
"Fwoosh!!!"
A wave of warmth blossomed in his dantian. A current of heat shot up through his right arm. Then, a mass of lava-like flame coalesced above his right palm…
"It really works!!"
Lin Feng's eyes lit up, joy flooding him. He could actually summon and dismiss the Strange Fire at will! Was it… truly this simple?
Unbeknownst to him, he had stumbled upon a fortunate shortcut. Under normal circumstances, refining a Strange Fire was never this effortless. The reason lay in his earlier guess: the Molten Rock Fire had been drastically weakened by the Scorpion King's final, desperate attempt to consume it. It had entered an extremely fragile state, desperately needing replenishment. As the records stated, a cultivator's true essence could nurture a Strange Fire. Thus, the Molten Rock Fire perceived Lin Feng's body as an ideal refuge. It didn't need to be forcefully captured; it willingly 'burrowed' inside.
Because it relied on Lin Feng's true essence for sustenance, the fire offered no resistance. This allowed for effortless summoning and dismissal. However, achieving mastery over it for complex tasks like artifact forging or pill refining would still require significant time and practice.
"A Strange Fire… one actually listed on the Hundred Strange Fires Ranking…"
With a thought, Lin Feng recalled the Molten Rock Fire back into his dantian. A surge of exhilaration coursed through him. Though ranked lowly on the Hundred Strange Fires Ranking, its presence on the list at all made it a treasure coveted by countless cultivators. And now… it was his.
— Acquiring this Strange Fire made every peril he had faced worthwhile.
After riding the wave of excitement, Lin Feng retreated to the cavern wall. He retrieved his meditation mat, sat cross-legged, and began focusing on regulating his breathing and recovering his strength.
Roughly half an hour later, he concluded his session. He knew those waiting above must be frantic with worry. He hadn't aimed for full recovery, stopping at around seventy percent. It would suffice.
Although the Fire-Tailed Scorpion King was dead, and nothing else in Redcliff Mountain should pose a threat, Lin Feng decided caution was prudent. His priority was repairing his life-saving Spirit Light Jade Pendant.
Inspecting the pendant revealed a shocking 96% damage level. One more forced use would likely have destroyed it completely. Thankfully, it hadn't come to that. Next, Lin Feng gathered the various materials needed for the repair.
With everything prepared and held in his right hand, Lin Feng focused his mind: "Repair."
"Fwoomph!!"
As always, upon issuing the command, a burst of flame erupted on his palm, engulfing the artifact and materials. But this time was different. The flame that appeared wasn't ordinary. It was a deep, viscous, molten-rock red… like flowing lava…
Molten Rock Fire!!